Kansas Considers Banning Muni Broadband

A bill introduced this week would impose sweeping new
restrictions on municipal broadband networks. The language in Senate Bill 304 is so broad that it could prohibit cities from leasing space on water towers to cell phone companies, or even installing
WiFi networks in public libraries, according to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's Christopher Mitchell.

“If I was a cable company, I would be praying this bill would pass,”
Mitchell says. He adds that if enacted, the measure would virtually eliminate any possibility that the incumbent cable providers -- mainly Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable -- would face
competition.

Among other provisions, the law would prohibit municipalities from offering video, telephone or broadband service in any “unserved” area. It also would prohibit
municipalities from leasing, buying or operating any facility that would enable private businesses to offer broadband, video or telecom service in unserved areas.

The measure defines
“unserved” quite narrowly: areas where at least 90% of households have no access to any sort of broadband service.

Existing municipal broadband networks, including the 1 Gbps
network that Google launched in Kansas City, would be allowed to continue operating. But the bill seems likely prevent Google from creating any new networks.

The measure reportedly was
submitted on behalf of the Kansas Cable Telecommunications Association, according to Ars Technica.

Kansas isn't the only state to consider
limiting muni broadband. More than a dozen states have some sort of laws that restrict cities from building their own networks. But none of those restrictions are as sweeping as ones being
contemplated in Kansas, according to Mitchell.

It's truly great to see that Kansas lawmakers and Cox and Warner are so concerned about making life much, much easier for Kansans by removing all those pesky choices. Removing competitors from the marketplace through legislation - greased by lobbying dollars - is a time-honored American tradition. Wow! You can almost smell the apple pie and hear dear old Mom's voice in the background.

Classic government/business sweetheart deal at the expense of ordinary citizens. No doubt industry's favorite organization of legislative lapdogs, the American Legislative Exchange Council had a hand in it. They been protecting the cable oligopoly all over the country, assuring that Americans (who funded the creation of the Internet) have the most expensive Internet in the world. Not doubt the legislators will get handsome contributions.